Various medical procedures and operations in the fields of interventional pain management, orthopedics, interventional radiology, and vascular surgery, among others, require the insertion of a tool or instrument into a patient's body at a predetermined trajectory. A C-arm X-ray fluoroscope 10 (see FIG. 1) is a well-known X-ray apparatus used for just such a procedure, wherein one or more digital X-ray images are produced of the procedural zone. From the generated digital views it is possible to determine the location of some or all of the patient's skeletal and vascular structures, as well as the location of the doctor's or technician's tool or instrument. Using that method, the path of insertion for a tool or instrument can be accurately determined. A conventional C-arm X-ray fluoroscope comprises a C-shaped arm element 12, a base 18 providing a foundation for the C-shaped arm element, an X-ray receiving element 14 located at a top end of the C-shaped arm element and an X-ray emitting element 16 located at a bottom end of the C-shaped arm element. The patient that is the subject of the procedure is located between elements 14 and 16. A conventional C-arm X-ray fluoroscope may also comprise one or more displays 20 for viewing digital X-ray images of the patient generated by the C-arm X-ray fluoroscope 10.
In practice, the actual aiming of the tool or instrument is an inaccurate art, and multiple attempts are usually made, requiring a repositioning of the tool, the drapes and the doctor or technician each time. This can be time-consuming and tedious. This problem is further compounded by the fact that the lights in the operating room often must be turned off in order to better see the displays 20. This is problematic because it reduces the illumination of the patient located between the elements 14 and 16. As such, the doctor or technician cannot adequately see the zone of operation where his hands, the instrument and the patient are located. It is imperative that the zone of operation is adequately illuminated so that the doctor or technician can see what is occurring and be able to act quickly and appropriately, while enhancing patient safety as well as the resolution of the visualized monitors.
Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above, and particularly for a solution to the dearth of lighting equipment available for use with C-arm X-ray machines.